


checkmate

by dogsbreath



Series: ADOMANIA [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Dragons: Race to the Edge, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Female Hiccup - Freeform, Manipulation, dagur isnt the big bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:20:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28721253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogsbreath/pseuds/dogsbreath
Summary: "This changes everything, Dagur," she whispered, looking at the wall. Dagur let out a breath, nodding."Yeah, Hic, it does." He whispered.ADOMANIA; BOOK THREE (RTTE)i don't own anything from how to train your dragon or it's extended franchise.©RHODESTEADS 2021
Series: ADOMANIA [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105493
Kudos: 7





	1. ONE

_OUTCAST ISLAND PRISON  
BARBARIC ARCHIPELAGO _

"Mealtime, Maggots!" The guard called, snatching the bucket up off the floor. 

There was a series of grunts and hollers of the other inmates calling for their food to be thrown in their cells. Inside one of them, a slim man with an eyepatch, a scraggly beard, and prosthetic hook hand looked up, eyes following the lone guard as he passed every cell. 

The guard came to a stop beside the cell and tossed a loaf of bread into the neighbouring one. The inmate leaped for it, letting out a grunt. He hesitated at this particular cell, before tossing in a folded up piece of cloth. 

The slim man slithered out of the shadows, a grin crawling up his pointed face as he grabbed the cloth. 

"Well, that's not bread! Why does he always get special treatment!?" his neighbour cried out, indignant. 

"Oh, Mr. Big Shot Notorious Criminal! Mr. Outcast Cheiftan." He grumbled.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," The man drawled, his voice scratchy but still smooth. "Do you want some?" 

"Come on," he rasped, beckoning him through the bars. "I'll give you some, I don't bite." 

Hesitantly, the inmate reached his hand out. Quick as a whip, the slim man grabbed his arm and hauled him closer. The inmate's face crushed against the bar roughly, and he groaned. The slim man stood to his full height, and the inmate heard his bones crack as he did so. He looked down his hooked nose to the inmate. 

The inmate gasped, looking up at the taller man. "I've been meaning to tell you something for the last three years," he said.

"You're voice is really annoying."

With that, the man yanked on the inmate's arm hard, hitting his head off the bars. The inmate fell to the floor. The slim man sighed, cracking his neck, and stretching. He'd spent the last three years in the cramped cell, and his muscles certainly haven't thanked him for it. 

He unwrapped the cloth, finding the key to his cell. He smirked, before unlocking his cell. 

He walked the hallways quietly, coming upon a guard a few cells down. He reared his arm back and whacked his metal hook on the back of his head. The guard hit the ground, unconscious.

He continued onto the next turn and came across two guards talking. 

"A woolly igloo? Where'd you hear that?" one laughed, looking at the other one. The man slinked up behind them and smashed their heads together. The sound of the bodies hitting the ground drew the attention of another guard. 

"He's escaped! Alvin's got out!" He cried. 

The slim man, Alvin, froze, turning to look at the guard. He sighed, as the guard started running. Alvin followed.

"sound the alarm--!" 

Alvin cut the man off, using his bludgeon to hit him on the head. When he looked up, he saw more guards surrounding him.

"Oh, how fun! A challenge!" he drawled. Alvin let out a cry, running towards them with his hook and the bludgeon raised. 

Two guards met him head-on. Quick, he swiped the bludgeon one way, knocking the guard in the teeth. He brought the bludgeon up and smacked it across the other guard's face. He dodged the flailing mace. 

Another guard went for him, and Alvin grabbed the mace on the ground. He brought it up, cuffing the man's chin and sending him flying backwards. He swiped the feet of the next two guards out from under them with the mace. He ran up the falling body of one of the guards, and brought the mace down on the next one, hitting him solidly on the head and sending him to the floor.

Alvin landed on his feet, glancing over at the cheering inmates. 

"Get him, Alvin!" one cried.

"Show 'em who's boss!" another shouted. 

Alvin ran for it, coming to a halt as a particularly bigger Viking stood in his way. The man held a bludgeon and was bringing it down on him. Alvin dodged, sidestepping. He waved his hook, hearing another guard come up behind him. The Viking raised the mace again, and Alvin jumped out of the way, hearing the mace hit the guard who'd been doing a poor job of sneaking up on him. 

"Oh, that's not good." The Viking whispered, looking around.

Alvin hit the Viking on the side of the head, sending him to the floor. He walked on the body, following the torch-lit corridor of the prison, whistling a tune his mother had taught him when he was a child. 

He came upon the guard on the front door, raising an eyebrow as the shorter man cowered in his shadow, dropping his bludgeon. 

"No, no, Alvin, please," he begged. "I'm the one that gave you the key."

Alvin raised an eyebrow, a distasteful look on his face. "Which makes you a traitor."

He raised the mace in his hand and brought it down on the man. 

"I hate traitors."

He kicked the guard to the side and opened the door. It was dark, but Alvin could see Johann's trading ship at the docks. He grinned, laughing quietly to himself. 

"It's a new day, Hiccup," he whispered, her name falling off his tongue bitterly. 

She'd put him in here to rot, after ruining his business and armada. He'd promised her she would pay for that, her and her little gang of heirs. They would pay for ruining him, and Hiccup would pay a personal price for the loss of his hand. He would make sure of it. 

"I hope you're well-rested."

It would be her turn to rot, to be locked up, to _fail._ He'd make sure of it, even if it was the last thing he did.


	2. TWO

_JUST SOUTH OF THE ISLE OF BERK  
BARBARIC ARCHIPELAGO_

The wind battered her face, sending her braid flying behind her. She grinned, patting the dragon she was seated upon. The black streamline dragon tilted into a barrel roll as they cut through the fog surrounding the sea stacks. She leaned closer to the saddle, following the dragon's lead as he dodged and twisted around the sea stacks.

They levelled out, and she grinned. The dragon grumbled, looking up at her. 

"Okay, bud, let's try the new move," she suggested. The dragon's eyes narrowed, and he groaned. She laughed, rubbing the top of his head. 

"Relax, I'll be fine." 

The dragon huffed but dived down along the side of the next sea stack. The redhead let out a cry of joy as they turned, flying up higher. She rose off the saddle a little as they gained more and more altitude. 

"Yeah! Let's go!" She cried, cheering him on. "C'mon, Toothless, that's it! push it!" 

The dragon, Toothless, stuck his tongue out, flapping his wings a little harder. They gained more momentum, and she laid her hands on the sides of his face, laughing. 

The sound of metal clinking against metal reached her ears, and she separated from Toothless, her suit unlatching from the saddle. She fell backwards, hurtling towards the ground. 

"What the-- Oh. no, not again!" she cried, annoyance colouring her tone. 

She watched Toothless start to get smaller and yelled out. "Uh, hey, Toothless!" 

Toothless glanced back and let out a noise of concern, twisting around in the air and diving down after her. She straightened out her body, keeping her arms to the side as Toothless met her. 

She glanced at him, meeting his disapproving look with a sheepish grin. 

"Hey," she greeted. Toothless growled, unamused, barking out his own equivalent to a greeting.

"So just plummet, or you have any ideas-- okay, sounds good." 

Toothless dove underneath her, and she grabbed the handles of the saddle, pulling herself closer to him. She hooked her prosthetic into the foot pedals and relatched her belt to the saddle. 

"Okay," she sighed, getting situated back on the saddle. "I seriously need to get my own pair of wings." 

Toothless grumbles and she shushes him. 

"Oh, quiet, you. Don't even start." 

He turned around, and she directed him back to Berk. He flies over the majority of the village before landing just outside of the forge. She hops off and winces when the wooden part of her leg digs into her stump. 

"Looks like I need to fix up my leg," she observes, watching the big dragon sniff at it. 

"Hiccup? Tha' you?" 

The redhead, Hiccup, turned around to face the door of the forge. She had long auburn hair, bright green eyes, too many freckles, and a prosthetic leg. She rolled up the sleeves of her flying suit and walked in. 

"Yeah, Gobber, it's me," she called out, 

She undid her leg, and hopped over to her workplace, digging around in the drawers for her spare. It wasn't in her desk, nor on the prosthetic wall. 

"Hey, Gob?" she called out. 

A burly Viking walked over. He had a long blond mustache, a peg leg, and a prosthetic interchangeable left hand. 

"Wha'?" he asked, looking her over. 

"Ye missing something or wha'?" he asked, nodding to the empty space where her leg was supposed to be. 

"I can't find my spare leg, do you know where I put it?" she asked. 

"Backroom." He answered.

"Thanks, Gob." 

Toothless crowded into the back room, and when he came out, he had her spare securely between his gums. He deposited it in her hand, and she winced at the glob of dragon saliva in her hand. 

"Thanks, bud." 

Toothless let out a laugh, and she playfully scowled, pointing the leg at him. Toothless gurgled, and she laughed, falling to her knee next to the bucket of water. She dunked the leg into the cold water and washed off the dragon spit. 

Just as she was securing it to her leg, there was a knock on the forge window. A black-haired, burly man stood there, looking at them. Hiccup straightened at the sight of her Uncle. 

"Spitelout?" she asked. 

Spitelout cleared his throat. "Council's been called. Something about Johann." 

Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed, "Johann's not supposed to be in this area for another few months."

"The twins found him floating in the ocean and brought him to Stoick," Spitelout said. 

"Odd... Everyone knows Johann, no one would take his ship." Hiccup whispered to herself.

"Could've been a dragon," Gobber suggested. Hiccup shook her head.

"No, they wouldn't. None of the native species in the archipelago bother humans unprovoked, besides the odd Terror. And Johann knows how to defend himself against a few Terrors."

"He won't speak to anyone except you, Hiccup.. and from the way he's talking, it won't be long until his exposure catches up with him." Spitelout told her. Hiccup nodded.

"Let's go then. Toothless, come on."


	3. THREE

Most of the council was gathered around the bedraggled and exhausted trader when Hiccup walked in. Toothless bounded over, clearing the space around him up as Hiccup limped over. He looked relieved when he laid eyes on her.

"Master Hiccup," he sighed, relieved.

"Johann," she greeted, looking him over for any injuries.

"What happened?" she asked.

"ooh... _Alvin,"_ he whispered.

Hiccup leaned back. "What about Alvin?"

"He's out," Johann said, "And he's angrier than ever."

Hiccup's eyes widened. Alvin escaped Outcast Prison? Impossible. Hiccup could barely get out of that place without her dragon. A wave of dread washed over her. Johann embellished his stories, sure, but not even he would lie about this.

She'd barely managed to beat his game the first time around, and now he was out, and angry. Hiccup swallowed, her mouth dry.

"And from the way he was talking, Hiccup... you're number one on his revenge list."

That must've been everything he had forced himself to stay awake to say, because as soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes shut, and he fell back against the chair he was propped up in. Hiccup stood.

She ran a hand through her hair and stepped back.

"Gods," she murmured, running a hand through her hair. Alvin was out. He was _out_ and after her. He played her like a fiddle the first time they went head to head and the only thing that did for her was traumatize her.

Her chest tightened, like someone had a vice grip on her lungs, forbidding her from air. She took a choppy breath, and backed up some more, away from the council's stares. She made a noise in the back of her throat, and Toothless stood up behind her. She backed up until she was flush against his stomach, and he wrapped his wings around her, encasing her with them and giving her a little room to try and breathe.

He cooed, and she laid a hand against his chest, breathing through the panic she felt in her chest.

"I'm... I'm good, bud," she assured. Toothless looked own at her as if assessing her himself, before removing his wings. She took a grounding breath and ran a hand through her hair.

"I need to... I need to go." She stated.

"Hiccup..."

"I have to go, Gobber. I need to tell Dagur."

* * *

The squawk of a Deadly Nadder was all the warning she got before the large dragon landed on the cliff where she stood.

Two more dragons could be heard touching down behind her, and she listened as their riders got off. Toothless eyes finally moved from her to the newcomers. He gurgled his greeting before going to socialize with the other dragons.

"The Terror was flapping his wings like his life depended on it, so I assume this is important, H?" One of the girls asked, fixing her armband.

She had long wild blonde hair, a crooked grin, and mischievous blue eyes. She walked up to Hiccup, fixing her armour as she did so. She adjusted her sword in its hilt.

Hiccup didn't answer, eyes on the horizon. Alvin was out there somewhere, hunting her, rebuilding his armada, his business, his 'legacy'. He was three moves ahead of her this time, and she didn't know if she'd be able to catch up with him.

"Hiccup?" One of the men asked. He had curly brown hair, tan skin, warm hazel eyes, and scattered freckles.

The second man had fiery red hair, a scarred face, and kind green eyes. He stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hiccup?"

She turned around and blew out a breath. All three of them looked concerned, and the redhead didn't remove his hand until she nodded briefly at him.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked. Hiccup swallowed around the fear in her throat.

"The twins found Johann floating in the ocean a few hours ago. He would only talk to me," she told them, biting her lip.

"That's not it, is it?" the blond asked.

"All I got out of him was that Alvin escaped Outcast Island."

The redhead froze, tilting his head. The blonde and the brunette gasped.

"Say again?" the brunette asked.

"Alvin _escaped?_ How is that possible?" the redhead asked

"I thought the last we'd seen of him was when we threw him in jail." the blonde commented.

"I don't know how he did it, but Johann said he was angry and looking for revenge. The last time he was angry, I almost lost my other foot." Hiccup said.

"What do we do?" the redhead asked. Hiccup blew out a breath.

"I don't know, Dagur. We barely won the last time we fought him, Dogsbreath almost died," she answered, nodding to the brunette.

Dagur and Dogsbreath shared a look, the brunette shuddering at the memory of his near-death experience. The blonde laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure you guys are as scared as me, which means, we're in this together," she stated, smiling softly at Hiccup. Dagur nodded.

"Aye, what Camicazi said, Hic, we're in this together," Dogsbreath repeated.

"Like we've always have been. We're gonna beat him again." Dagur assured.

Hiccup nodded. "Good, because I need one of you to come with me to question Johann when he wakes up."


	4. FOUR

"All we got out of Johann before he passed out again was this: Alvin escaped from Outcast Island by commandeering his ship." Dogsbreath started. Dagur and Camicazi looked on from their spots sitting around the table in the Great Hall.

Hiccup stepped forward, pointing to a spot near Outcast Island. "He threw Johann overboard about here."

"That's a lot of ocean, Hiccup. How are we going to find him? He could be anywhere by now." Camicazi asked.

"We could spread out? But it's still a lot of ground to cover." Dagur suggested.

"I'm glad to announce that I can spare you the trouble!" Johann called, walking up to their table. Camicazi grinned, and Dagur clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Johann! How are you feeling?" He asked. Johann smiled.

"Much better! Thank you for asking. More importantly, I have a strong suspicion of where our nefarious foe may be heading next."

Hiccup watched as Johann motioned to the fog banks of the Archipelago. Dogsbreath's eyebrows furrowed.

"Outside the Archipelago?" he asked. Johann shook his head.

"No! Just inside the fog banks on our outer group of islands."

"We've never been out that far." Hiccup murmured, frowning. "Why would he go out there?"

"When Alvin commandeered my precious ship, he came into possession of a very important map— one that leads to a graveyard of ships hidden in that fog bank."

"Yeah, because that's the first place I'd go," Camicazi drawled, raising an eyebrow.

"If i may be allowed to finish?" Johann asked impatiently.

"Johann, last time we allowed you to finish, we ended up scattered across breakneck bog. So no, no finishing." Cami stated.

Hiccup laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Easy, C."

Cami threw her hands up, looking around. "I'm just saying, I don't want a repeat of that."

Hiccup sighed, turning to Johann. "What's so special about the graveyard? And why would he go there?"

"Well, you see—" he started, already taking a breath to start his story, a smile on his face.

Hiccup held up a hand to stop him, "The short version, please."

Johann deflated, sighing in disappointment. "It's where i store all my treasures and wares."

Hiccup looked at the three dumbfounded stares directed at the trader, turning and hiding her grin in her shoulder.

"wow," Cami gasped.

"Concise, to the point." Dogsbreath murmured.

"Who knew he had it in him?" Dagur finished.

Johann gaped, offended. He raised a hand, pointing at the three of them. "Which reminds me of the first time I was labelled as 'concise'! He was a young man, very ugly, I actually—"

"Johann!" Hiccup barked.

"Yes?"

"Focus. Is there anything else?" she asked.

Johann's face fell, and when he spoke, his voice held a sinister tone, shrouded in warning. "As a matter of fact, there is one ship you must avoid at all cost. It's called... The Reaper."

Hiccup frowned at the genuine fear in the mans voice, sharing a look with the other three. Cami frowned, sliding just a little bit closer to Dagur. Dogsbreath went pale as Johann started describing it.

"Riddled with booby traps from stem to stern, it sits on a jagged rock, shrouded in fog! Barely made it out with my life the only time i dared ventured aboard. I still see the shadows of it in my nightmares!"

"Right... Well..." Hiccup said, taking a deep breath. "Thank you for that... descriptive recollection, Johann. Why don't you go rest?"

Johann nodded, and when he left the hall, Dagur released a breath.

"We're going to have to go scout the fog bank, aren't we?" Cami asked.

"Unfortunately." Hiccup nodded.


End file.
